Cam actuated switch structure



July 29, 1969 Filed Oct. 12, 1967 .1. L. GLANCY 3,457,802

CAM ACTUATED SWITCH STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 zzvvmae.

J JERRY L. Guwcv woizwuzzuwa m l 22mg:

July 29, 1969 J. L. GLANCY 3,457,802

CAM ACTUATED SWITCH STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 12, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.6. Fig.7.

INVHVYUR JERRY L. Gumcv United States Patent US. Cl. 74--568 2 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cam actuated, multiple switch structure inwhich the switch elements are actuated by cams rotated by gears meshingwith a central driving gear, moved manually or automatically, with theorientation of the cam-gears with the central driving gear beingalterable so that switch assemblies having various sequences of switchoperation can be assembled from the same basic parts or components.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention may becategorized as in the field of camactuated, sequentially operableelectrical switches.

Description of the prior art Many modern electrical appliances, such asautomatic washers and dryers, incorporate as part of their controlsystems multiple switch assemblies which are manually operated to alterthe operation of the appliance in accord with a desired sequence ofoperation. Since the control sequence, or the featured group of possibleoperational sequences, in such appliances varies widely frommanufacturer to manufacturer of the appliances, supplying these switchassemblies to these appliance manuafcturers has heretofore necessitatedmanufacture and stocking of a Wide range of switch assemblies which,while similar, incorporate differing switch parts and require differentassembly techniques and testing procedures. The economic toll which isthus levied where the switch manufacturer wishes to supply a broad rangeof appliance manufacturers can be substantial.

SUMMARY The present invention provides a multiple switch structure ofthe type in which a rotary motion of the control knob or shaft producesa sequential actuation and deactuation of the individual switchcomponents, the switching sequence or program of the switch componentsbeing determined by the relative orientation of driving and driven gearelements at assembly of the complete switch structure. A flexibility ofmanufacture is thus achieved, permitting requirements for switchassemblies with differing switching sequences to be filled withoutrequiring manufacture or stocking of differing switch parts orcomponents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of theswitch structure of the present invention with portions removed in orderto clearly show, particularly, the contact structure.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the control shaft carrying the detent cam andthe driving gear.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view similar to FIG. 1 but showing the portionsomitted from FIG. 1 in place in the switch assembly.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of one of the driven gears and the attachedcam.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view taken generally along the line 5-5 ofFIG. 4.

3,457,802 Patented July 29, 1969 FIG. 6 is a fragmentary viewillustrating co-operation of one of the cams with its switchactuation-controlling members.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 6 but illustrating thecoaction of the other of the cams with its switch actuation-controllingmembers.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring initially to FIG. 1,the embodiment of the present invention includes a rectangular switchhousing, indicated generally at 10, having a base surface 11. Extendingupwardly from the base are posts 12 and 14 and a. circular boss whichdefines a socket or aperture 13. Extending through slots in the base arefixed contact terminal blades 16 and 17 each of these carrying fixedelectrical contacts 16a and 17a, respectively, the blades extendingthrough the base 11 to provide electrical terminal connections for thecontacts. The base also is provided with slots which can accommodateadditional terminal blades for modification of the switch structure to adouble-throw type.

Adjacent one margin a terminal bracket 18 is appropriately accommodatedin slots formed in the base (the bracket 18 extending through the baseto provide a terminal connection), the bracket 18 having rigidlysupported thereon the extending, resilient movable contact carryingblades 19 and 21. At their free ends the blades 19 and 21 are providedwith movable contacts 19a and 21a respectively. Intermediate theirlength the blades are offset and notched, as indicated at 1912 and 21b,providing cam engaging surfaces, the operation of which will besubsequently described. A terminal element 22, carried by the base 11,similarly mounts a resilient switch actuation-controlling member orblade 23 having cam-engaging, notched portion 23b and carrying a movablecontact 23a. A contact terminal assembly 24 is also carried by the baseand presents fixed contacts 26 and 27 to the movable contacts 23a and21a, respectively. The terminal element 28 supports the resilient,movable contact carrying blade 29 which has a cam engaging surface 2%and, at its free end, carries the movable contact 29a. The movablecontact 29a co-operates with the fixed contact 17a.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the driving gear structure includes a drivingshaft 31, which may have a flattened portion facilitating insertion of aknob on the shaft, which carries the driving gear 32 and is providedwith a stepped end portion 33 which is adapted to be received in theaperture 13 of FIG. 1. Just above the driving gear 32, the shaft 31carries a detent cam 34 whose facial contour is shown in FIG. 3 andwhose operation will be subsequently described.

The driven gear and cam element 36 accommodated on the post 14 of FIG. 1are shown in detail in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. The gear and cam element iscounterbored as indicated at 37 to accommodate the post 14 and isprovided with sidewardly extending lobes 38 and 39 (FIG. 4) which, asmay best be seen in FIG. 6, co-operate with the offset portions 19b and21b of the contact carrying blades 19 and 21 respectively. The drivengear and cam element 36 is provided with gear teeth 41 which are adaptedto mesh with the driving gear teeth 32, as will be evident from FIG. 3.The upper face of the driven gear and cam element is provided with aseries of index markings 42 which aid in orientation of the driven gearwith the driving gear as will subsequently be described.

Similarly, as will be evident from FIG. 7, a driven gear and cam element51, has gear teeth 52, adapted for meshing with the driving gear teeth32. The element 51 further carries a single lobed cam 53 which isadapted to cooperate with the offset portions of contact carrying blades23 and 29 which are shown fragmentarily in FIG.

7. The aperture 54 in the driven gear and cam element 51 is adapted toaccommodate the post 12, shown in FIG. 1. The front face of the element51 is provided with a series of index markings (identified at 56 in FIG.3) which are similar to the index markings 42 of the driven gear and camelement 36 previously described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. Itwill be understood that while gear and cam element 36 is illustrated ashaving two diametrically opposite cam lobes 38 and 39, and gear and camelement 51 is illustrated as having a single carn lobe 53, other formsof cams might be utilized to provide difiering switch operatingsequences.

FIG. 3 illustrates the assembled switch structure, that is, thestructure having the two driven gear and cam elements in place on theshafts 12 and 14 and with the driving gear assembly in place in theaccommodating socket 13. Overlying the driving gear and the meshingdriven gear and cam element faces is a plate 61 which is provided withelongated apertures 62 and 63 which permit viewing of a portion of theindex markings on the driven gear and cam element faces. Extending fromopposite corners of the housing sidewalls are spring blades 66 and 67which cooperate with the lobes 34a of the detent cam 34 to establishdetent positions for the driving gear separated at 90 intervals as theshaft is rotated. The housing may be further provided with an overlyingplate 68 (a portion only of which is shown in FIG. 3) which carries adepending abutment 69 which co-operates with a stop-cam 71 which may becarried by the shaft 31. When the stop is utilized on the shaft 31, itwill be understood that the abutment 69 functions as a stop, permittingrotation of the shaft 31 clockwise only from the shaft position of FIG.3.

In operation, upon assembly of the switch the driven gear and camelements may be oriented with respect to the driving gear in anyprescribed fashion, the prescription directing that some one of theindex markings (letters or numerals) on the face of the gear and camelement 36 be centered in the aperture 63. Additionally, some one of theindex markings on the gear and cam element 51 may be centered in theaperture 62 to thereby provide any desired relative positioning of thecam lobes moved by the driven gears and, hence determining the sequenceof operation of the switching members as the driving shaft 31 isrotated, the desired relationship being obtained merely by an indicationof which numeral is to appear centered in each of the two apertures 62and 63 upon assembly. The orientation of the driven gears with respectto the driving gear illustrated in FIG. 3 is such that the 0 indexmarking on the gear assembly 36 is centered in the window 63 and the 6index marking on the gear element 51 is centered in the aperture 62.This places the cams in their positions of FIGS. 6 and 7, however, asmentioned above, other initial positions of the cams can be establishedby initially positioning the driven gears relative to each other so thatnumerals other than 0 and 6 are visible and centered in the apertures 62and 63 as the switch is assembled. While the detent cam" 34 isillustrated as providing 90 intervals, the detent cam might be arrangedso that 45 or other detent intervals would be provided. It will also beunderstood that both the number of index markings on each gear face andthe number of teeth on the driving and driven gears must be an evenmultiple of the number of detent positions so that each detent positionunequivocally presents an index marking centered at the calibratingapertures 62 and 63. If gears having the number of teeth proper foreight detent position operation (45 between detent positions) areutilized, the switch assembly may be modified for four position detentoperation (90 between the detent positions) merely by changing to a fourlobe detent cam, no change in the gears being necessary.

While the invention has been disclosed and described in some detail inthe drawings and foregoing description,

' they are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive incharacter, as other modifications may readily suggest themselves topersons skilled in this art and within the road scope of the invention,reference being made to the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A switch assembly having a plurality of switch actuation-controllingmembers mounted within a housing with a plurality of cam elements eachmounted to rotate independently within the housing adjacent the switchmembers and adapted to sequentially engage their respectively adjacentswitch members as the cams rotate thereby sequentially actuating theswitch members, wherein the improvement comprises a driven gear rigidwith each cam, a driving gear mounted on an operating shaft for rotationwithin the housing, the operating shaft extending to the exterior of thehousing, said driving gear meshing with each of said driven gears androtating the driven gears upon rotation of the operating shaft, theorientation of said cams with relation to said driving gear upon initialmeshing of the driving gear with the driven gears determining thesequence of actuation of said switch members, one side face of each ofsaid driven gears being provided with a series of index markings, and aplate overlying said driven gears parallel to and adjacent said markedside faces of said driven gears, said plate having indexing aperturestherein through which a portion of the index markings of the adjacentdriven gear face can be viewed to facilitate the the desired indexpositioning of said driven gears for meshing with said driving gear.

2. A switch assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which cooperating detentmeans are carried by said housing and said operating shaft to establishdiscrete detent positions of said driving gear.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,368,005 1/1945 Crise.

2,574,841 11/1951 Powell et al.

2,943,161 6/1960 Fath 3,022,099 2/1962 Bruscaglioni 74568 3,036,1675/1962 Bacchi.

3,107,548 10/1963 Goetz et al. 74--568 FRED C. MATTERN, 1a., PrimaryExaminer F. D. SHOEMAKER, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 200-38, 167

